News & views

What is an integrated communications agency? And what are the benefits for you?

Date Posted: 14 June, 2018

In the same way that you would go to your local butchers for meat, the market for fruit and veg and the hardware store to pick up a hammer and nails, it wasn’t so long ago that brands would divide up their communications campaigns. Social media would be handed to a social media agency, PR to the PR agency and marketing to, you guessed it, a marketing agency.

The integrated agency model however has since streamlined that whole process, allowing brands to amplify their results without the hassle of managing a number of different agencies. But what is an integrated communications agency? And what are the benefits?

Greater access to services and tools

When you invest in an integrated communications agency, you are first and foremost investing in a wider range of services and tools. Skills such as PR, social media, influencer marketing and content marketing all benefit from one another when they are properly integrated, something that’s hard to manage when you have multiple agencies involved.

Content from PR can be recycled on social media and in newsletters just as sponsorship opportunities can open up new avenues for influencer activity, and it is this linking of services that is much easier to achieve with an integrated communications agency.

The right range of skills however needs to have the right tools to maximise their impact. Ranieri’s internal influencer platform, for example, means we can handle the whole influencer marketing process, even if we’d originally been brought on-board to look after PR.

When agencies are able to integrate their services in this way it makes the whole process far simpler and more effective for the brands involved.

Multi-country offering

Working across several countries via one point of contact is a major benefit to hiring an integrated communications agency. Having one agency that can provide a full communications package independent of geography, not only streamlines the whole process but also allows for greater synergy internally.

The agency isn’t only able to react to and advise clients on cultural differences from country to country, but can also highlight similarities and consult on campaigns involving several countries as one.

The ability to roll up several countries in a single package is incredibly useful for brands, and an essential component of an integrated communications agency.

See also:

Increased information sharing

The very nature of an integrated communications agency means that information is shared much more freely. As mentioned above, many agencies are able to offer content and PR, or social media, though a truly integrated communications agency can go one step further and bring the likes of sponsorship and advertising to the table.

This doesn’t only mean that clients can absorb those extra skills into their campaigns, but the agency can share and recycle information internally, resulting in a more connected and ultimately effective campaign.

Value for money

When choosing an agency, you want to know that your budget is being spent effectively. An integrated communications agency is able to demonstrate economies of scale by not only streamlining the work across different divisions, but across different countries too.

And if all of the above is in place, an integrated communications agency will be able to deliver real ROI and true value for money.